Grass is back in the Chesapeake, and crabs will follow

Underwater grasses and a crab pot near Crisfield, Md. In the Chesapeake Bay, underwater seagrass beds are growing, sheltering crabs and fish. The long-awaited recovery depends on efforts by farmers to prevent nutrients from polluting the giant estuary © Peter Essick / Getty Images / Aurora Creative

For scientists who monitor the health of the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary, simply watching grass grow underwater can be very, very exciting.

The floor of the Chesapeake Bay off Solomon's Island "had no grass since 1972," says Robert Orth, a marine scientist at the College of William & Mary, and there's an undertone of amazement in his voice. "It was just last year, for the first time, we saw small patches of grass appear in front of the lab. Truly remarkable."

"We have seen the development of [seagrass] beds the last few years where we've never seen them before," Orth continues. "So the plants are telling us that the conditions are improving."

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